


I'm In Love With My Best Friend

by Malec_fanfic, malec_hun (orsoly_writes)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Best Friends, Collaboration, Friends to Lovers, I wrote this with a friend, Idiots in Love, M/M, Soap Opera, They are literally married but they don't know, Writers' Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-17 14:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malec_fanfic/pseuds/Malec_fanfic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orsoly_writes/pseuds/malec_hun
Summary: Alec and Magnus are best friends and secretly in love with each other, and we have no idea what's gonna happen ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Readers! 
> 
>  
> 
> Lynn (Malec_fanfic) and I (malec_hun) were about to challenge each other. We came up with this idea to write a story together and have some fun while doing it. For your entertainment, of course.  
> This Malec Story is going to be a fluffy one, ‘best friends to lovers’ and ‘idiots in love’.  
> Lynn is going to write the Alec’s POV chapters and I’m writing the Magnus’ POVs.  
> The chapters don’t cover each others, so we continue where the other stopped in switched POV.  
> We didn’t discuss the story, we only talked that Alec and Magnus are best friends and secretly in love with each other. 
> 
> We started this story on Instagram and we are at Chapter 33 now so we can update this story daily to catch up here on Ao3 too. 
> 
> I hope you’re gonna have fun! I’m sure we will. Enjoy!
> 
> If you want to live tweet you can use the #IMILWMBF hashtag or just yell at me Orsi [Tweet to @malec_hun](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?screen_name=malec_hun&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) or find us on Instagram: [Lynn](https://www.instagram.com/malec_fanfic) and [Orsi](https://www.instagram.com/malec_hun)

Magnus was on his way to Alec’s apartment after work at the publishing company.

It was like going home. Not that they were living far from each other. Actually, it was just two blocks from one another. So why would he go home when he could go to Alec’s. 

Alec and Magnus had been best friends since... forever. They had met in college and had become best friend immediately, which was actually weird. 

They had nothing in common and yet, they perfectly completed each other. Being Alec’s best friend was easy and simple. Just like being in love with him. Loving Alexander Lightwood was as simple as one plus one equals two.

He was the most beautiful man Magnus had ever seen with his beautiful hazel eyes, and with that soft smile of his when he was blushing every time Magnus gave him a compliment. And Alec had a pure heart, he could never hurt a fly. 

Magnus fished out his spare keys from his bag and entered the building, pressing the elevator’s button in the lobby. He collected Alec’s mail while he waited. He pushed his key into the lock and the next moment he was in Alec’s apartment. 

“In the kitchen!” Magnus heard Alec’s voice after he closed the door, making him smile. Magnus freed his feet from his boots and walked to him.

“What are you cooking, Alexander? It smells delicious!” Magnus shouted before he swallowed the scents which filled the apartment, heading into the kitchen with Alec’s mail in his hands.

Another simple thing was that Magnus’ heart skipped a beat every time he saw Alec. He looked way too adorable while was cooking with his apron on which had been Magnus’ gift on one of Alec’s birthdays. Of course, Alec had blushed when he saw the caption on the apron saying ‘ _Handsome in the kitchen_ ’. 

“Hey,” Alec greeted Magnus with his soft smile.

“So, what are you cooking?” Magnus asked leaving the mail on the counter before walking next to Alec at the stove, checking the pot. 

“It’s just spaghetti,” Alec answered, he was focused on the cooking when Magnus took a look at his face. Alec smiled at him when he could sense Magnus’ gaze on him. “It’s gonna be ready soon,” Alec added.

“Great,” Magnus said and went out of the kitchen, heading to Alec’s bedroom.

He grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants from his closet and changed his silk shirt and tight pants quickly to comfy clothes. He removed his makeup in the bathroom then went back to Alec in the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus came back to the kitchen and Alec had to smile immediately, he was wearing his clothes again. He always did that, coming styled in skin-tight cloths from work or somewhere else and then stealing from Alec’s wardrobe.

Sometimes Alec asked himself if Magnus even owned own comfy clothes, well, not that he would complain. He really liked watching him snuggling into the too wide shirt and pants, without any makeup on, just him. Just the man he knew since they had been young silly students and who still got prettier with every day.

Alec did exactly know when he’d found out about his feeling for Magnus. It had been the day of their graduation from college, when Magnus had hugged him full of joy and delight and excitement for their new life and he’d often done that, but this had been special. Alec had been afraid that their friendship could end with college and he’d recognized that it wouldn't just be just the loss of a friendship, but of someone he really loved.

Gladly, their bound had only grown stronger and Izzy often joked they were behaving like a married couple. Well, they did, but with the exception that they were no couple.

“Could you please cook faster Alec, I'm sorry, but I'm so hungry.” Magnus whined and made his puppy face, Alec chuckled.

“Rough work day?”

“Yea, just as always. What about yours?”

“Nothing too stressful, I was able to finish my last commission, so I drove home as soon as possible to make food for us.”

Alec worked in a little but reputable graphic design company and actually really liked it there.

“So you knew I would come?”  
“You come at nine out of ten days Magnus. Here, I'm finished.” Finally he placed a steamy plate with spaghetti and extra cheese in front of him on the round table and also sat down.

“I'm not bothering you?” Magnus asked jokingly and Alec made a face.

“Believe me, I would have told you in the last years.”

Years that seemed like seconds whenever he looked into Magnus' shining light brown eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec was talking about his commission while they were eating, then he was telling him about a new TV show about some shadow fighters, wizards, fairies and vampires, or something like that and that they definitely should binge watch it. 

Magnus barely could pay attention to Alec speaking even though he was drinking in his presence with his eyes. The word ‘us’ that Alec had said before echoed in his ears during their dinner and it hurt him. 

Apparently, there was an ‘us’ for Alec but not in the way Magnus hoped for. There was an ‘us’ for Alec and Magnus as best friends and Magnus would never ruined their precious friendship. It was worth so much more. He could live with his unrequited love for Alec because he couldn’t even imagine how Alec would react if he ever told him about his feelings for him. And he didn’t want to lose him.   
Being Alec’s friend was better than not having him in his life at all. 

After dinner, they watched two episodes from that Colombian series Magnus loved so much instead of the one that Alec mentioned before.

“Why can’t Maria Fernanda confess her feelings to Juan David? The guy broke up with that chick because of her,” Alec called from the bedroom while Magnus was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. 

Magnus only smiled at Alec when he walked into the bathroom, placing Magnus’ pajamas on the stool next to the sink. 

Well, Magnus had pajamas at Alec’s place. And it wasn’t a question that Magnus was spending the night when he just headed to the bathroom after Alec turned the TV off. He didn’t have to ask if he could, Magnus had already slept a lot at Alec’s place during the last years. 

Magnus rinsed his mouth and wiped it on a towel, placing his toothbrush back in the holder, while Alec pressed toothpaste on his, starting to brush his teeth. Magnus grabbed his pajamas from the stool, placing them on his lap after sitting down. 

“Would you tell your feelings to somebody who may not return them, Alexander?” Magnus asked, staring at Alec who stopped the brushing for a moment, looking at his reflection on the mirror. 

Then he turned to Magnus and shook his head. 

Magnus could relate to Maria Fernanda, obviously. “See? We probably have to wait twenty more episodes for that,” Magnus said and Alec rolled his eyes and continued brushing his teeth.

Magnus waited until Alec was done and left the bathroom so he could change. They were friends, they had seen each other in boxers sometimes but they always gave each other some privacy when it came to changing clothes. 

When Magnus went back to the bedroom Alec was already in bed. He jumped on it and slipped under the covers. He gave Alec a kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. 

“Good night, Alec!” Magnus said.

“Yeah, uhm, good night,” Alec curved the corner of his lips, looking into Magnus’ eyes. 

They were staring each other for a couple of minutes and Alec licked his lips, Magnus’ eyes went to Alec’s lips on a reflex, his heart skipping a beat. 

Suddenly Magnus rolled to his other side, with his back to Alec, pulling the cover to his chest, hugging it tightly. He didn’t close his eyes, he was simply staring the night sky through the window. They forgot to close the curtains he noticed, but he didn’t care. He just took a deep breath and tried to ignore the mixed feelings in his chest. How much he wished to be able to kiss Alec, to feel his full lips on his, to slide close to him and fall asleep together. But he couldn’t. He had to make do with listening to Alec’s breathing getting calm and steady as he fell in his sleep. It was his thing, listening to Alec’s breathing in silence. 

Magnus fell asleep later while listening his ‘lullaby’.


	4. Chapter 4

Alec couldn't count how often he'd already shared a bed with Magnus. They'd started sleepovers in college, for learning together, even if they hadn't had the same courses and the nights often turned into watching TV or just talking.

Retrospective, this maybe had been the time their friendship really increased, so it was just natural that Alec would never force his best friend to sleep on the couch or even floor.

Well, it was also selfish. Sharing a room, a mattress, being centimeters away from each other while sleeping was special and Magnus made it seem so casual.

Hopping into Alec’s bed with that adorable smile and even placing that small peek on his cheek, burying his warm nose for a second in Alec's soft skin.

How gladly he would have turned his head and caught Magnus’ lips with his ones, embracing him properly and tenderly kissing him to sleep. He’d nearly done it.

At this moment, where their gazes had stopped at each other's pupils and Alec hadn’t dared to breathe anymore, but the moment got destroyed with Magnus grabbing his blanket and turning around. God, Alec was totally out of order, he even thought he’d seen Magnus' eyes slipping down on his lips. It was total nonsense. Gay didn't mean Alec was in love with all his male friends and bi didn't mean Magnus was in love with everyone, especially not with Alec. Not everybody was as helpless as him and fell for his very first best friend, putting such a huge risk on their relationship. Well, nobody else had someone like Magnus as their best friend.

Nevertheless, he had to calm down. Did Magnus hear his heart beating? Could he sense the shivers that ran down Alec's spine, that he was overly nervous? No, Magnus was a direct, open person, he would have asked if he recognized anything.

‘Don’t move too much, don’t make a sound, don’t stare at his muscular back!’ 

Slowly, he sank down to his pillow, exhaling as quietly as possible. Maybe at a certain point all those thoughts got just too much, anyhow Alec got swept away by sleep.

He didn’t know why, but suddenly he was awake again, though it was still dark night outside and only the moon, that wasn't covers by clouds anymore, gave a little light. Magnus had turned around in his deep sleep and was now facing Alec, while one of his hands grabbed a corner of his pillow, so cute.

How could he always look like an angel, especially now, when his chest rose and sank regularly and was mumbling something from time to time. Alec hadn’t known that dozing Magnus in pajamas was his new favorite. Carefully he raised an arm and let his fingers travel over Magnus' hand next to him, thinking about all the things they'd experienced together. He wouldn’t destroy it, definitely not.

Suddenly Magnus flinched and Alec got the shock of his life, but his best friend just wrinkled his nose, maybe caused by a dream, and moved a bit, then grabbed Alec's finger. Alec's eyes were widely opened and he had to suppress a gasp, but quickly freed his hand.

What was he doing, shit, since when was he so daring? Their relationship was so great right now and Alec's feelings were that big red blinking problem between them. Well, they wouldn’t be if Alec just gulped them down and stopped thinking about it in every free minute.


	5. Chapter 5

Magnus woke up the next morning with his arm resting on Alec’s stomach. His eyes popped opened, going blind immediately from the sunrays coming through the windows, he began cursing the curtains — when he realized that Alec’s pajama shirt was a little slipped up and Magnus’ arm was on Alec’s bare skin at his hip up to his elbow. 

 

Dreaming about Alec was one thing. Dreaming about Alec while sleeping next to him was another thing. But making body contact with Alec while sleeping next to him was a thing that Magnus’ heart couldn’t handle in a healthy way. 

 

And when Magnus thought his heart couldn’t endure more... Well, he most certainly was wrong...   
  


Magnus tiptoed out of the bedroom and dressed up quickly. He had to go his own apartment before work to take a shower, get ready — and calm down, obviously.   
  


The second heart attack came after his lunch break that day when Alec texted him telling him he was going on a date later that night and asked if Magnus could save him if his date got to be too awkward. It wasn’t that bad of a heart attack because Magnus was used to doing that when Alec went on dates sometimes but still. It hurt, to be honest.    
  


So, Magnus had been thinking about his dream all morning at work, and then in the afternoon, he had been thinking about Alec’s date. Thanks to those distractions, he had had to take extra hours because the manuscript he was editing had to be done by that day.    
  


Magnus was at his apartment, sitting on the couch, elbows leaning against his knees, holding his iPhone with both hands as he stared at the screen without blinking. 

 

He wasn’t pathetic, not at all — why would he be? Because he didn’t even turn the TV on while he was on call because what if Alec texted him and he had to rush to the restaurant to save Alec from his date? And turning the TV off was a waste of time, right? Right!    
  


Magnus was sitting in silence, his heart racing — from something he didn’t know, literally hearing the old lady crocheting the next door.    
  


Then, the text came and Magnus was out of his apartment like the Roadrunner, leaving a dust cloud behind. He was at the restaurant in no time, running into the place, he had already noticed Alec’s back, at the same place he used to sit with his dates — this time he was with a blond? Magnus made a face.   
  


“Alec!” Magnus said, trying to sound worried when he reached their table.   
  


“Magnus?” Alec looked at him.    
  


“I’m sorry to disturb you but I couldn’t reach you on your phone and...” he paused, looking back and forth between Alec and his date who had blue eyes, frowning at Magnus. Magnus had to admit that the guy really didn’t suit Alec. “Berry...” Magnus added, breathing heavily.    
  


“Yes... Berry, uhm, my...” Alec arched a brow at Magnus.   
  


“Your goldfish... dead,” Magnus said and Alec bit back his lower lip, then he looked at his date.    
  


“I’m sorry, but I have to go...” Alec said to him.   
  


“Who is this?” Alec’s date asked him.    
  


“I’m Magnus. Alec’s friend, also goldfish-sitter when Alec goes on a date,” Magnus smiled at the guy before turning to Alec. “You really shouldn’t turn your phone silent!” Magnus said, placing his hands on his hips. Alec placed some cash on the table and stood up.    
  


“I’ll call you!” Alec said, smiling at the guy. Magnus rolled his eyes and they were running out of the restaurant the next moment. Magnus took a last look at the guy at the table who stood up.    
  


“He is leaving. Run!” Magnus whispered and they started to run toward Alec’s apartment.    
Magnus pulled Alec in an alley after running for a block. Magnus placed his hand on his stomach, they were both breathing heavily.    
  


Alec laughed when he looked at Magnus.    
  


“Why do you always have to name my non-existing pets?” he asked as he laughed.    
  


“That makes it more credible,” Magnus laughed too, looking at Alec who shook his head.    
  


“I love you,” Alec said and Magnus heart skipped a beat — for a good forty-eight seconds. That was the third time on that day when he’d had a heart attack. Their laughter turned silent as they stared at each other.    
  


“What did you just say?” Magnus asked even though he didn’t know how his brain could manage to talk. He was blinking rapidly while waiting for Alec to answer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very late update guys, I have a reminder to post now…

“What did you just say?” Magnus looked at him with wide eyes whereupon Alec's heart dropped down into his stomach.

'Save this, save this.' 

Pounded in his head, making him chuckling like a dork. “Yea I really love you, seriously, I don't know anybody else who would invent names for my imaginary fishes and canaries or even help if I need a date rescue. I really appreciate that you're always there for me.” 

“Oh.” Magnus smiled, but somehow crooked and weakly, please don't let him notice how close Alec was to dying. 

Izzy often told her friends she loved them, it was pretty common between them, so why Alec couldn't tell his best friend? Not strange, not strange at all, god why looked Magnus so skeptically? 

The light, cheerful atmosphere dissolved, there were just those two left in the alley. “Wanna get dinner with me now? I'm pretty hungry since I couldn't eat a bite before you saved me.” 

Getting dinner, something they even did more often than sleepovers or cooking themselves for each other, but Magnus shook his head, the first refusal in a very, very long time. Alec felt like shit, but tried not to show it. 

“I'm sorry, I took editing work home with me, I have no time.” He literally felt like crying, right now on the streets. 

“Oh, that's, that's fine, you've already helped me a lot. See you tomorrow.” His second sentence sounded more like a question and at least Magnus nodded before he turned around to walk down the street to his car. 

Alec followed him with his eyes, his gaze fixated on his back. They hadn't ever had a fight. Of course, they weren't always the same opinion, not at all, but that was never a reason for a real dispute, that situation right now couldn't be the first one in any case. Not because of this, not because Alec had irritated him with an 'I love you.' 

When he came home, he didn't even feel like eating anymore, just wanted to go to bed and watch any stupid TV show on his smartphone, but when Alec entered his bedroom, Magnus was still there.

Crumpled blanket with his pajama messily tossed on it as he always did if he left in a hurry, though his silhouette was nearly still visible on the mattress. It was a curse that Alec's work started later and considerate Magnus always managed to get up without waking him, so he couldn't get ready together with him. 

Whereas he loved the little going-to-bed-rituals they had. Magnus' side was still smelling like him, sandalwood. Alec had tried his shampoo once, since he adored that scent so much, but it hadn't worked the same on his body, inhaling it from Magnus' bare skin was way better. He missed him. 

The day had been hard, especially after that date. Despite his hidden love, or better, because of it, he went on dates from time to time, hoping to find a guy he got feelings for that could cover his ones for his best friend. Unnecessary to say it hadn’t worked yet. Come on, looking for a not existing second Magnus was pointless anyways, due to him Alec's expectations were unrealistic high. 

Another reason why he was already happy Magnus called him his best friend, Alec was not as shining, outstanding and magnificent as him. He definitely had to make things up again. Quickly he closed the show he'd watched the whole time while he'd paid more attention to the heavenly smelling mattress than the screen and sent Magnus a message. 

See you at your lunch break? <3  
Adding heart, adding no heart, in the end he just pressed sending like this. 

Sure <3


End file.
